India Tour 6: Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple

I toured Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple located in the city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu India. Constructed between 685 and 705 CE by the Pallava Dynasty, The temple has a slightly different structure and appearance from other temples in the region, this is due to the fact that unlike many of the other Shiva Temples in South India, Kanchi Kailasanathar is a Smartha Temple.  “Smartism” is a more recent sect of Hinduism which arose in India between 500 BCE and 500 CE.  This period corresponded with the end of the Upanishad age in India and the rise of the Gupta Empire.  “Smartism” as it is called was a very “smart” way of Hindu society to maintain its continuity in a quickly changing world.

The Upanishad era had perhaps given Hinduism an air of being overly elite and abstract. Additionally, new conflicts had arisen in Hindu society; there were now so many schools of philosophy one could adhere to, so many different manifestations of god one could focus on, so many different texts one could follow, and all of these multiple groups seemed to be having trouble getting along. Due to this social stress in Hindu society many began to leave the religion and turn to the new tradition of Buddhism.  Fortunately the society recognized the problem and created a solution, thus came the  birth of “Smartism”.  Smartism is a Sanskrit word which means “whole body of sacred tradition”.  Smartist priests began breaking down the divisions which had arisen in Hindu society by teaching from the myriad of texts which had become available: Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Epics, Shastras ect.  They also came up with a clever system whereby the focus on a single deity was replaced by the worship of five deities: Ganesh (remover of obstacles), Shiva (necessary destroyer), Shakti (female power), Vishnu (preservation) and Surya (sun).  

By drawing from all available traditions and establishing an eclectic pentad, Smartism diffused many of the eternal clashes within Hindu society and began to reverse the tide of conversions. It was possible to detect the more “liberal” smartha influence at the Kanchi Kailasanathar Temple; its central pyramid was muted and not so steep, its 58 small shrives to various forms of Shiva made the temple feel diffused in comparison to the more imperial feeling non-Smartist Shiva temples in the region, its sandstone construction made it feel warmer and more supple then than traditional granite structures.  The temple reflected Hinduism’s ability to adapt and be pliant (without loosing its integrity) a trait which has allowed it to survive.